Examining women’s perceptions of mental health while working in public relations.

For many years, the U.S. public relations industry has been primarily dominated by women, who currently represent 70% of all public relations professionals. This study takes a deep dive into women’s experiences while working in public relations to examine how they were treated within their public relations work environment. Using the identity theory and the stress and coping theoretical framework, this study seeks to explore how women working in public relations balance work-life conflicts and whether or not they believe their work environment affects their overall mental health. While there has been previous research conducted on the mental health effects on women working in public relations, this study aims to shine light on the resources that should be provided to women in these situations and how their experiences can make a difference in the future of women in public relations. To address these issues, this study collected survey data from 147 women working in public relations about the way they manage work-life conflict, the resources that are provided in the workplace, and the overall state of their mental health due to work. Through the identity theory and coping theoretical framework, the study seeks to dive deeper to thoroughly understand the perceptions of mental health among women working in public relations and what improvements can be recommended to employers regarding the mental health resources they are providing to their employees.